Breast cancer is one of the highest incidences among cancers in women. Breast cancer also has wide variations in the clinical and pathological features, which are taken into account for treatment planning, and to predict survival rates or treatment outcomes. Thermography detects the temperature increase in malignancy due to the increased metabolism of cancer cells. The hormone receptor status of a malignant tumor is known to play a role in treatment planning and survival prediction. A hormone receptor is a protein found within and on a surface of certain cells throughout the body. When the right hormone attaches to a cell's receptor, like a key into a lock, a signal is communicated to the cell to turn ON/OFF a particular activity which that cell performs. One type of receptor found in breast cells is the hormone receptor. Knowledge of which hormone receptors are associated with a given hot spot seen within a thermographic image of a patient's breast can be useful for treatment planning and estimating mortality risk. The present invention is directed to this effort.